Colorado Sets Record For Traffic Deaths

Colorado has experienced more deaths on the state’s roads this year than have occurred in any of the last 15 years. 615 people have been killed on the state’s highways this year, surpassing last year’s total of 608 fatalities. This is the most deaths since 2002 when 677 people lost their lives. Preliminary numbers from CDOT show the increased deaths can be attributed to more people riding without seat belts and an increased number of crashes involving impaired drivers. The majority of the deaths have occurred on the Front Range, with Weld County coming in third with 55 people killed so far this year. According to CDOT, June was the deadliest month in 2017, followed closely by July, with the fewest number of traffic deaths occurring in February.